A tiny app, growing one paw at a time.

Rewards worth earning

Version 0.4.0 gives every achievement a rarity and the rarest ones a reward, adds 30 new achievements, lets you keep a redrawn Paw-Paw’s first look and brings Paw-Paw in German. Paw-Paw offers the update automatically, or use Check for Updates… in Settings › About.

Achievements with rewards

• Every achievement has a rarity, shown by its medal: grey for common, green for uncommon, blue for rare and orange for legendary. The rarer the achievement, the grander its medal’s stamp.
• Rare achievements give a special item and legendary ones a mythical Paw-Paw, which no gift brings. A reward’s name stays a secret until you earn it.
• 30 new achievements, 60 in all, among them seven new secret Paw-Paw and item pairings. The items-found milestones now give special items, and the biggest ones mythical Paw-Paws.
• Achievements you’ve already earned give their rewards as soon as you update.
• The Achievements page shows its medals under Secrets, Companions, Style and Collection, with goals you’re close to under Nearly there. Select a medal for its goal or hint, your progress and its reward.
• Once a secret pair’s Paw-Paw is yours, its item turns up within your next 10 gifts.

Choose a look

• Sheep and Shetland Sheepdog have a new look. Prefer the original? Pick it from the version menu on their card in the Library.
• Season 1, and Season 2’s Bat, Squirrel, Frog, Dolphin and Manatee, are redrawn with cleaner lines, and every Paw-Paw is now drawn at about the same size.

Now in German

• Paw-Paw speaks German. It follows your Mac’s language; choose another from the globe on Home.

Smaller changes

• A napping Paw-Paw blows a nose bubble that swells with each breath and snores its Zzz; waking up pops it.
• While you’re signed in, quitting Paw-Paw sends your latest progress to your account.
• On Fire’s glow no longer stops short at the right end of the XP bar.

Midnight Mischief

Version 0.3.0 brings a Halloween collection, Paw-Paw in Japanese, Korean and Chinese, a new Items page and gifts that pop open. Paw-Paw offers the update automatically, or use Check for Updates… in Settings › About.

The Midnight Mischief Collection

• A Halloween collection with 4 new Paw-Paws and 18 items on a level track of its own. Its Paw-Paws join you at levels 1, 3, 5 and 7.
• It costs USD 0.99 once and is on sale until November 1. Once you buy it, it stays yours after the offer ends.
• The Library’s sidebar now lists Season 1, Season 2 and Midnight Mischief under Original collections, and Illustrain under Artist collections.

Now in more languages

• Paw-Paw speaks Japanese, Korean, and Simplified and Traditional Chinese. It follows your Mac’s language; choose another from the globe on Home.

A new Items page

• Items are grouped by category, with outlines of the ones still to find. Category buttons stay at the top as you scroll.
• The ⓘ on every item, and on Season 1 and Season 2 Paw-Paws, tells you a little about it.
• New Collection achievements mark every 25 items you find.

Gifts and celebrations

• Gifts come in capsules: pick one and watch it pop open. Every gift is an item you haven’t found yet.
• On Fire is now a star power-up: the XP bar warms up and floods with a rainbow, and fiery paw prints burst from your Paw-Paw’s paws.
• Level-ups, trophies, a finished collection, a newly worn item and a click on your pet each get a small celebration.

Smaller changes

• Double-click your Paw-Paw to open the Library.
• When the Dock reaches the corner, your Paw-Paw sits on top of it.
• Backups is now Local backups, in Settings › Account. While you’re signed in, your progress saves to your account as you play.
• While you’re signed in, Reset Everything… also resets your account’s progress on every Mac, as Reset Progress… does.
• Home’s tips cover the basics, and the Library has a calmer, more consistent look, with links and controls in Paw-Paw’s purple.

Meet your Paw-Paw

Version 0.2.3 makes the first few minutes with Paw-Paw smoother, from setup to the tour, and brings your progress to a new Mac in one step. Paw-Paw offers the update automatically, or use Check for Updates… in Settings › About. If the update shows an error, quit and reopen Paw-Paw, then use Check for Updates… in Settings › About.

A friendlier start

• The tour now starts on your desktop, right beside your Paw-Paw, then shows each part of the Library as it goes.
• Setup waits for you between steps, so a quick double-click can’t skip one.
• Request Access… shows macOS’s own Accessibility prompt first, and opens System Settings only if you still need it.

Your progress on a new Mac

• Signing in on another Mac brings back your progress, Paw-Paw and items in one step, while Paw-Paw shows that it’s opening your progress.

A smoother Home

• Home resizes smoothly, and the Illustrain Paw-Paws tap along when you point at them.
• The Illustrain collection page shares Home’s rainbow foil, and its buttons are easier to read on every version of macOS.

Welcome home

Version 0.2.2 opens the Library on a new Home page and keeps Paw-Paw up to date in the background.

A new Home page

• Home brings your progress, news and a featured artist collection together.
• A guided tour of the Library, available any time from Home, and What’s New and Tips in one card.
• The Illustrain card has sleeping Paw-Paws, floating items and a rainbow foil border, with its price and Buy and Explore buttons.

Updates in the background

• Updates download automatically. When one is ready, Restart to Update appears in the sidebar and on Home, along with the daily reminder.

Earn XP where you choose

Version 0.2.1 lets you pick which season or collection earns XP, adds more than 100 free Season 2 items, and keeps your progress together across Macs without asking you to choose. Paw-Paw offers the update automatically, or use Check for Updates… in Settings › About. If the update shows an error, quit and reopen Paw-Paw, then use Check for Updates… in Settings › About.

Your XP, your choice

• Choose the track that earns XP with Earn XP Here on a season or collection page, with Earn XP In when you right-click your Paw-Paw or its Dock icon, or in Settings › Progress.
• Changing Paw-Paws no longer moves your XP. Turn on XP follows my Paw-Paw in Settings › Progress if you liked it the old way.
• The Library’s sidebar shows which track is earning XP.

More items, calmer gifts

• 108 new free Season 2 items, for more than 200 free items in all, and some favorites redrawn. Desserts now sit under Food, and a few Season 2 items now sit centered on your Paw-Paw’s head.
• With two or more gifts waiting, Open All opens them together. After you collect a gift, the others wait until you’re ready.
• Achievements no longer wait behind an unopened gift, and a new Paw-Paw’s level-up card waits until you can see it.

Progress that stays together

• Progress on this Mac and in your account now combines automatically: every item and Paw-Paw from both, and the higher level of each season and collection. Replaced copies are kept in Backups.
• Paw-Paw no longer restarts to sync while you’re using it.
• Reset Progress… in Settings › About starts your progress over and keeps your purchases and settings. When you’re signed in, it resets your account too.

Settings and smaller changes

• Settings is regrouped into Companion, Progress, Account, Privacy, and About, and Paw-Paw can now open at login.
• Change Item in the item editor takes you straight to your items, and Check for Updates… is now in the Paw-Paw menu too.
• New items, Paw-Paws, and lines can now arrive without an app update.
• The artist collection is now called the Illustrain Collection, and its items have solid fills. Purchases and progress carry over, and its art now downloads only on Macs where you own it.

A whole new season of Paw-Paws

Season 2 brings 20 new Paw-Paws, many new items, a new home for your collection called the Library, and Paw-Paw’s first artist collection. Paw-Paw offers the update automatically (or use Check for Updates… in Settings), and your progress carries over.

Two seasons, one collection

• Meet 20 new Paw-Paws, starting with Sheep at level 1 and then one every two levels, up to Opossum at level 39. With the original 11, that makes 31 free Paw-Paws.
• Each season has its own level track, so you can grow both at your own pace. Your Season 1 progress, items, and saved item placements carry forward.
• Many new items join the originals, for more than 100 free items. Every item works on every Paw-Paw.

Meet the Library

• One window holds All your Paw-Paws, the Items page, Achievements, and a page for each season and collection, with Settings alongside.
• On the Items page you can search, filter by category, star favorites, and see which season or collection each item comes from.
• Paw-Paw now lives in the Dock instead of the menu bar: click its Dock icon to open the Library.

The Illustrain Collection

• Paw-Paw’s first artist collection, with illustrations by Illustrain: 5 Paw-Paws and 57 items on a level track of their own.
• It is an optional one-time purchase of USD 2.99, bought on its page in the Library with card checkout by Stripe. Buying unlocks the track; you earn its Paw-Paws and items by leveling it up.
• Both seasons stay free, with no ads and no subscription.

Little surprises as you play

• Earn 30 permanent achievements for discoveries, companion milestones, and personal style. Achievements celebrate progress without adding XP or gifts.
• Find seven secret Paw-Paw and item pairings with short visual effects. Their recipes stay hidden until you discover them.
• On Fire now earns 2× XP from live typing and clicks in the active track, shown by a rainbow strip and a small flame along the XP bar.
• Your Paw-Paw now cheers you on in a speech bubble from time to time. Click it to hear a line whenever you like; the automatic bubbles can be turned off in Settings.
• Gifts got a refresh: pick one of three gift balls with the mouse or the 1–3 keys, then choose Wear It or Add to Items. Esc puts a gift back for later.

A desktop companion that fits your space

• Choose Small, Medium, or Large for the whole companion. Mirror Mode reflects your Paw-Paw and its item and docks it at the bottom left.
• Right-click your Paw-Paw, or its Dock icon, for quick controls: switch between favorite Paw-Paws and items, adjust the item, set Opacity, turn on Click-Through, Hide for 1 Hour, or reset its position.
• The item editor gains a Reset button that previews the default placement on your Paw-Paw’s head, plus keyboard shortcuts. Open it with Adjust Item… in either menu.
• Accounts are optional: sign in only to buy a collection or keep your progress in sync. First-run setup now covers signing in, privacy choices, and Accessibility in three short steps.
• Refined pet artwork, the app icon, Library styling, reward placement, accessibility, and full-screen behavior round out the release.

A clean slate when you want one

Paw-Paw now makes it possible to start over from Settings, with a deliberate confirmation before anything is erased.

• Added Reset Everything for clearing Paw-Paw's local progress, rewards, inventory, input counters, preferences, and privacy choices.
• Relaunches the app after a reset so old in-memory state cannot restore cleared data.
• Refined Accessibility permission onboarding and improved how character and settings controls work with assistive technologies.

Smoother item styling

The item editor and pet interactions got a thoughtful polish pass, making it easier to dress up a friend and fine-tune their look.

• Polished item-editor buttons, modifiers, and click recognition.
• Improved the preview and cancel flow for item edits.
• Refined pet click routing and click-through preferences.

A steadier app

We continued refining the systems behind earned items, content delivery, accessibility, and day-to-day performance.

• Improved continuity for earned items between sessions.
• Refined inventory update flows and content delivery.
• Continued improving accessibility, performance, and catalog quality.

Download routing gets a polish

Improved download routing for shared links and campaign links, making it easier to get the latest build from wherever you find Paw-Paw.

More control as the beta grows

Paw-Paw added clearer controls around optional analytics and diagnostics as the public beta continues to evolve.

• Refined the settings experience for optional diagnostics.
• Continued improving the app’s transparency and control surface.
• The app version advanced to 0.1.9 (build 10).

A tidier cast

We refined the animal catalog and unlock progression, with further improvements to launch performance and the app’s supporting systems.

More items, smoother loading

The item collection grew with a new set of Chinese, pan-Asian, Latin American, and Pacific Islands-inspired items, alongside continued tuning of asset loading.

Customization gets hands-on

Items became much easier to place and tune, while progression kept working for players who had already made it well past the early levels.

• Added item transform controls and click-through behavior for transparent pixels.
• Extended and then reworked the XP curve so progression does not flatten at level 15.
• Expanded automated coverage around progression and item behavior.

Collecting gets more generous

A big batch of new items made the loot loop more rewarding, with guardrails to keep drops feeling useful.

• Added 19 new items and tuned their display sizes.
• Tuned the early XP curve and the rhythm of item drops.
• Improved click-through on transparent item pixels and automatic update checks.
• Improved compatibility with existing item layouts.

The first feedback loop

The early beta became a more comfortable desktop companion, with an update path and the first round of feedback-driven improvements.

• Added Sparkle auto-updates and a smoother release pipeline.
• Made the pet window draggable and added per-app hiding.
• Refined the loot flow, sleep timer, and settings.
• Added the rainbow paw-fire typing effect and redesigned permission onboarding.

Animals, levels, and items

Paw-Paw grew from a tiny animated pet into a collectible desktop companion.

• Introduced animal avatars, XP progression, unlock levels, loot drops, and an inventory.
• Added a gacha-style collection flow, rarity balancing, and data-driven catalogs.
• Expanded the cast with animals including fox, koala, wolf, bear, hamster, pig, capybara, corgi, raccoon, and seal.
• Added typing effects, new items, and groundwork for a signed remote-content pipeline. Remote catalog sync is disabled in the current production build.

The first paw print

The project began as a native Swift macOS desktop pet: a small friend that could sit beside your work and react to the rhythm of typing.